tête-à-tête
by shishousama
Summary: Summary: As a transcendent, she's reluctant to help anyone, much less a nasty jerk like Damien. But while trapped in RA, Alice finds herself intrigued by the half demon and a tentative friendship is formed.


The World Tree, despite her imprisonment, was rarely uncomfortable. Given Damien's guardians had proved to be a formidable force for would be liberators to handle, adventurers had quickly come to the conclusion that Alice might be bored while trapped in Root Abyss waiting for them to free her. No one in Maple world could stand to see a sweet looking creature trapped in such a dark place, and often brought her books, tea, chairs even a blanket so that she was always comfortable. One of them had even rigged the place with some sort of electricity generator, enabling her to make small meals should she ever get hungry.

_It was all very sweet_, Alice decides, even if most failed to realize that her physical body was far beyond such earthly needs. She thanked them all politely nonetheless. Especially for the Sunday crossword.

One of the gifts however, had a special meaning for her. It was a tea set, and it became the starting point for her and the commander, Damien.

Her first impression of him was that of a nasty little demon-faced guy. And as she starts to prepare the chamomile tea for this week's visit months later, she's still not sure if she's willing to change that thought. The commander was baffling to her. Despite the overwhelming presence of human dna within him, whatever human compassion he had, had been locked away and no ounce of it was shown. His demeanor was quiet and confident, his goal seemed to be distinctly in line with many Masterians-power. If she didn't know any better, she would have easily thought him a full blooded demon. Still though, at his very base the humanity remained, and humanity she believed, was inherently good. She finds herself wanting to see that goodness she knows lurks within.

The tea kettle whistles sharply, startling her from her thoughts. He is late.

Turning off the heat, Alice takes out two teacups and sets a teabag into each before pouring hot water into both. Letting them steep, she drapes the simple checkered cloth over the table. It is not long before she feels the half demon's energy signature. Damien is silent when he approaches, but Alice knows when he is coming, her Transcendence energies as the World Tree connect her with all living things in Maple world, and that included demons. If she wanted, she could focus her attention to all energies in Maple World, but for her own sanity she chooses only a select few at a time, if any at all. One of them being her captor.

"Good evening, Damien." She smiles pleasantly. "Tea?"

A soft scuffling noise can be heard as Damian sits down on one of the chairs, not saying a word. He look the same as always, quiet and confident, arms crossed, but she his energy signature is anything but calm. She tries to get a feel for it, and finds it a mix of emotions, pride, happiness, sadness. Normally whatever emotions he felt were hard to detect even for her, but for the energies to be this strong, clearly something must have happened to him. The transcendant doesn't really know THAT much, but what she does know is that the demon slayer is his older brother, and that Damien was very very fond of him, the only person to really elicit strong emotions from the commander. She would like to learn more, but has long since come to understand that if she is to satiate her curiosity, she has to lure him out as he is never the one to speak first.

"Your brother was here today." she says casually, setting a cup of tea in front of him.

Damian's head snapped up, a smirk curling his lips as he leaned back into the chair. "You don't say. I ran into him not that long ago. Bastard's everywhere at once isn't he?"

_Bait taken_. "I've heard he's been doing lots of good for Maple World." Alice says simply, setting the sugar and creamer bowls in the center of the small table. Spreading out her long dress, she sits down in the small wooden chair. "He still hasn't given up on freeing me."

"Tch." Damian snorts softly before lifting the tea cup to his lips, and sipping it before looking over at her. "Interesting. Last time I saw him, he could barely take on my men. Can't say I ever expected him to be that weak."

"Three hundred years trapped in an egg and having one's Fury depleted and used as an energy source tends to do that" replied Alice, dropping two teaspoonsfuls of sugar into her tea as well as some cream.

Damien doesn't respond, but sets his teacup down and flexes his hands a bit, as if he didn't even register what she had said. "There was a time when he could wipe the floor with them. A time where he would have easily." He makes a fist with his right hand. "Right now, I am the one who is stronger." His body gives a shiver as he looks over at Alice. "It is…an incredible feeling. To surpass someone you looked up to."

"He is gaining strength everyday." replied Alice.

The half demon looks down again and swirls his tea with a finger thoughtfully. "You're right. Every time I run into him, he is stronger. It would do me no good to be complacent."

The blonde brings the cup to her lips, letting the rich aroma wash over her senses before speaking, voice soft. "Why is it so important?"

Damien doesn't answer for a while, and Alice feels no need to push him, she never has. She had long since come to understand that he would speak when he was ready to. For a while all that is heard between them is the occasional soft clink of cups on saucers. To her, these little tete a tetes are less than a nanosecond in her eternal existence. Instead she takes another sip of her tea and listens quietly to the faint sounds of fighting going on in Vellum's chamber. The life energy of the last great guardian is slowly being whittled down—the shouts and attacks from Maplers and Vellum himself sending a tremor through the earthen floor and rumbling throughout Root Abyss. It won't take long now. she thinks. The crew of the demon slayer have already taken out VonBon, Pierre, and the Crimson Queen, and Alice can't help but wonder why Damien hasn't summoned them back, especially given his boasting earlier about how they are able to be revived. But she isn't going to complain, the sooner she can leave this dreary place, the better. By the time Damian answers, it is nearly a half hour later and their tea long since finished. She is busy washing the tea set when he does, and the words that come out of his mouth are surprising.

"I've always been sick and weak. Always been reliant on my brother to protect me because I couldn't defend myself. I want to prove to him that I'm strong and that he won't have to worry about protecting me anymore. I want…" he trails off and Alice turns to look at him. The half demon's head is bowed, both fists clenched on his knees. "I just want to go back to those days when we were happy, only without me being a constant burden. But Valfor doesn't even recognize me. I'm not even sure he's aware I'm alive."

The transcendence doesn't answer him, but rather finishes drying the tea set and shakes her head, sitting back down in the chair and picks up her Sunday crossword. Damien clearly had some issues he needed to work out, but Alice, as well as other Transcendences, had long since avoided directly helping those who followed the Black Mage or meant harm to Maple world, and she really didn't want to start now. The commander's motives might not be as cruel as she had first thought, but he still allied himself with dangerous people and instigated activities that threatened her safety and those who inhabited the island. Yet she finds herself continuing to respond, giving him questions of her own. Perhaps at some point, she thinks, he'd answer his own questions, figure out his own answers—and she'd see that side of him she knows exists somewhere deep down. "Do you think you are the same person he lost so long ago?"

"No. And good riddance to him. I'm stronger, more in control." Damien looks up at her and there is a gleam in his crimson eye, a cocky smile on his pale face. "These demons under my command—once long ago, many of their type humiliated me. They don't dare defy me now."

_One step forward, two steps back_. "So in hopes of not being scorned, in hopes of being on equal grounds with your brother, you have become what you once hated—a bully." Alice shakes her head. "I'm starting to see why your brother doesn't recognize you."

Damian glares at her, dark aura increasing. "Shut up. What would you know?"

Alice doesn't flinch at the rudeness, though she has to admit, being told to shut up has never been something she'd experienced before. Instead she holds her ground and opens her eyes fully, staring directly at him, smiling. "I know more than you think. I know you detest the human aspect of yourself, enough where you like to pretend it doesn't exist. But it does." She reaches forward and takes one pale hand in her own and squeezes it gently. She can feel Damian's hand twitch under her own, but surprisingly he doesn't pull away as she channels warm energy healing energy into him, relaxing the dark energy around his heart. "Humans aren't the only ones who are weak. There is a human fighting Vellum right now, and winning. Everyone is weak at some point. In case you've forgotten, I was rendered helpless when you decided to trap me down here with your guardians. And I'm a Transcendence, one of the most powerful beings in existence."

"…" The commander's eye widens slightly at the odd sensation. "What are you doing to me?"

"You will understand soon." Alice replied cryptically, releasing her grip on his hands._ I cannot interfere much more than this_. she thought quietly._ It is not my position to play god. He must make his own choice_.

The half demon looks away, hands shaking slightly, eye wide open.

Letting him mull over her words and the newly freed humanity he kept so locked away, she fills in another word on the crossword puzzle, content in knowing her time in Root Abyss will come to an end soon. The transcendent looks forward seeing the sun again, feel the cool breezes on her face and wiggle her toes in the soft grass. To see the Maple World once more, for she knows the climate and geography is so much different now, the natural energies much more diverse.

"Alice."

The transcendant looks up. "Yes?"

"When you escape…will you….I mean…" He leans forward, gaze locked on hers intently, his voice richer than she had ever heard it. "Will I see you again?"

_Oh my, that was unexpected. What brought that on? It is so sudden._ A faint blush crosses onto Alice's features as his hands clasp hers. She opens her mouth as if to say something, but finds herself cut off as there is a loud shout and then silence before voices ring throughout all of Root Abyss. Alicia gasps, the energy signature she associated with Vellum vanishing as a trio of victorious Maplers come streaming out of the chamber. Damien quickly releases her hands and disappears into the shadows as the demon slayer hefts Alice into his arms and flies up the hole. Through it, she can see sunlight, blue skies, feel the wind on her cheeks,and she is moved enough where she lets out a soft cry of happiness, tears streaming down her face as she is free, finally free.

Turning back, she thanks the team that rescued her, eyes resting briefly on each; the noble Mercedes, the fearless Cannon Shooter as well as the pale, quiet face of the demon slayer. Instinctively, her eyes widen upon seeing the red head and gapes at the man, for his face makes her realize whom she's leaving behind. She knows Damien will survive, that he is a resilient person and has been through so much worse, but given the company he regularly receives—

The world tree doesn't want to think about it. She has to trust him. As if drawn to Alice's thoughts, a swirl of dark energy appears in front of her, causing the trio to whip out their weapons.

"It's you!" gasped Mercedes. "The one I saw in Orbis!"

Tin looked from Damien to Valfor to Damian and then to Valfor again. "Holy shit I'm seeing double!"

"It can't be…" was all Valfor could muster up, eyes wide, weapon dropping to the ground.

Alice steps in front of Damien, shaking her head. "Put down your weapons. He will not harm me." She turns to her new friend slowly. "We will meet again."

Damien nods and crosses his arms, a smile on his face as he vanishes in a swirl of dark energy.

_Your humanity will lead the way when you are ready._

* * *

Edit: I am, and was aware that later on after you free Alice from RA, that Damien goes and kills Shinsoo. I'm not ignoring canon here, the last line is simply meant to imply he'll be able to find her when he is ready. Bullies don't change overnight, and Alice is fully aware of that. I fixed the line anyway tho, so it made a bit more sense.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!


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